Awake
by OnceUponADeduction
Summary: She was once an aspiring culinary artist. Now, she fights for her own survival in the Narutoverse as Miyako Hayashi. Is it hard? Well, hopefully not, but Miyako always had a knack for getting things wrong. Who's to say what's gonna happen? Welcome, to the animanga series, Naruto, but with a sweet twist. OC insert; possible pairing later on.
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

Floating. It was a weird sensation to have. I am Miyako Hayashi, but I wasn't originally so. Let's just say that my beliefs turned on me and instead of being sent to the afterlife or some other place like that, I was reincarnated. I was once a university student studying the culinary arts under one of the greatest chefs of the decade. My family was fairly decent; nothing too different from the others. It was ordinary, and that was the problem; it was too ordinary. I was just begging Murphy's law to occur when I was laughing and joking about everything being normal and that nothing would go wrong. "It's so…regular…" I clearly remember murmuring to myself on a warm summer's day a few hours before my death. I'll spare you the gory details, but that was about it. Then, I wound up here, in a place where the laws of gravity absolutely didn't apply.

Being reborn was, for lack of a better phrase, such a drag. At this rate, don't be surprised if I suddenly have powers to control shadows or something. It was a pain, knowing that I was an infant once again. It was hard to control my body; damn babies and their lack of movement. All I could do was cry and pretty much be a baby. I took a glance at the room around me. It was a rather spacious room with white, panelled walls. It was rather different to the rooms I remember having when I was still alive. Maybe I was transported back into time? I soon found out when I could hear and understand human speech. The language that they spoke in seemed to be Japanese, after hearing it for a while. It was completely different from English, which was annoying. This was one of the times that I wished that I was my sister, who watched anime 24/7 and pretty much learnt Japanese from anime and manga. Yes, she was a bit of a weaboo. I watched Naruto for a while when I was in my freshman year; hopefully that would help me here… The next few months passed in a bit of a blaze, though I learnt how to move my hands as well as speak a bit, but it wasn't a lot.

Before my first birthday, I was able to complete a string of words in Japanese and babble.

I laid in my crib, rolling around in the light peach-coloured blanket, giggling to myself or whatever the baby equivalent of giggling was. There were pictures of my family around and some of myself. I took after my mother, who had dead straight black hair. My father had a mousy brown shade instead. I had his dark eyes which glowed with a chestnut undertone. I loved the parents that I had now. My past parents were nice but I guessed that would never see them ever again. This is a new world and I have to move on, whether I liked it or not.

"KAZUKI! HOW DARE YOU LEAVE HER ALONE?!"

I craned my chubby baby head to see my mother slam the door open. Her face was blazing red with anger, her knuckles white as the frantically looked around with eyes of a hawk.

"Not here…" she muttered and suddenly smiled as she saw my gasp of horror. "Hello Miyako-chan, did I disturb your sleep?"

It was freaky, how she changes her emotions so suddenly.

"Me fine thanks, kaa-chan …"

She smiled again and looked behind her to see my father who was scratching the back of his head.

"See, Satomi? She's fine?" My father grinned sheepishly, but it wasn't enough to sway my mother as she whacked him upside the head.

"We're in the middle of a war! We can't risk it!" my mother whisper-screeched.

"But— " My father attempted to speak, but was interrupted by my dearest mother.

"We have to know that she's our second chance! Remember what happened the first time?" she said, almost close to tears. She saw the forlorn look in my father's eyes and looked out of the window. What did she mean by the second time? What happened the first time? Am I not their first child? But there were no photos?

"But still, it's our home. We have chakra detectors and we'll never let her go to harm." My mother sighed, "You know, we're going to need to train her. It's a dangerous world out there and we can't just let her saunter around like nothing's happening. I—I mean, I know that we're going to miss her innocence, but if she takes one step into reality like that, she's not going to live."

Wait, chakra?

"Miyako's our child, she'll do fine," my father came and picked me up. I struggled to keep the fluffy blanket on myself and gave up when I was swung around rather swiftly.

"Blanket." I said, pouting and glaring at my father as he brought me up to his eye level. My mother let out a small chuckle.

"Maybe not yet…"

**A/N: Hi there, readers from around the globe. I'm Alex, and after a while on this website, I have decided to upload one of my stories. Tell me what you think in the reviews~ Thanks so much for reading! :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Realisation

This talk of chakra started to confuse me. I can recognise some aspects of it, but it was so far away. You know when something is hanging right in front of your nose but you can't seem to get it? That was how I felt. It didn't help that my parents kept me in the house most of the time. Everything never really clicked until a visitor came to my house.

"Miyako-chan! Come and see your aunty!" My mother's voice came from the other side of the house. I let out a breath and started to toddle across the smooth wooden floorboards. I really missed my previous motor skills from my previous life. I used to be able to jump hurdles really well…at least in middle school. Now, I could barely manage a walk without wobbling.

It took a while, but I found my way to the doorway where my mother was standing right in front. Behind her was a woman who I assumed was my aunty. She looked younger than my mother — possibly by a few years, but no more than a decade. Hmm...

"Is this your Miyako?" my aunt gushed, leaning down to my level and caressing my hair. I must say, that was one of the things I missed about being a child, having my hair petted.

"Well," My mother smiled teasingly, "She's Kazuki's as well." I glanced up to see my mother lift me into her arms. "Miya-chan, meet your aunty Kaoru-oba-san. She's the matriarch of the Hayashi clan."

Hang on—clan? Japanese setting…chakra…clans…wars… Gosh, I felt really stupid at the moment. I wasn't just reborn into any old world, but the world of my sister's favourite animanga series. Naruto. What did I ever do to deserve this? I internally groaned. Naruto was a brutal manga that I wasted the whole of my freshman year on. This was pathetic. Maybe I'll just wake up sometime and realise that this was a dream? Yes, that would be good. But through so many fanfictions, I know that it will never happen. Lovely, I'm stuck here in a world of dangerous ninjas where assassination seems to be the norm. My parents were correct — I wouldn't last a day out there with the abilities that I had now.

I think that my limited knowledge would help…somehow. A year of being stuck in a baby's body can take quite a large toll on your mentality and memory recall abilities. Pretty soon, I might not remember anything of my past life at all. How depressing. Oh well, back to the situation on hand...

"May-tree-ark?" I questioned. I knew what a matriarch was, but who in their right mind would say that to an almost one-year-old child and expect them to understand? If I just carried on, they might get the gist that something wasn't right and ship me off to special prodigy school or something like that. So I couldn't have just accepted that. Ha.

My mother seemed to have fallen for my act as she grinned.

"Little Miya-chan doesn't know what a matriarch is?"

I shook my head.

"A matriarch is a woman who is the head woman of a clan," My aunty said slowly to help me 'absorb' the knowledge. I nodded my head in 'understanding'.

"Kaoru ba-chan strong!" I grinned. My aunty pressed her hands to her cheek and squealed.

"Awww! Really? Does little Miya-chan think so?" I could see her blushing and spinning around in circles. She's our clan head? Yikes. I guess she's similar to Naruto's mother in the sense of personality. What was her name again? I think that it started with a K… Nevermind… From the corner of my eye, I could see my mother shaking her head and anime sweat-dropping.

I motioned for my mother to let me down and I waddled back to my father's study to play with the toy kunai that I left there at some point. Once my mother was out of sight, I grabbed the nearest book on my father's shelf and attempted to read. I didn't understand many of the words, but there was a diagram of a human body. Frowning, I flipped the book upside down and shook it. As per usual, sheets of paper flew out of the book. There were notes to grab the groceries, errand notes, mission notices, but one note stood out particularly to me. It was not written in Japanese, but in English. The piece of paper was tattered and torn in some places, but the writing in the middle was particularly untouched. My English was getting rusty, but I guess that living in a Japanese world for a year really takes a toll on you.

"I…am…Theodore…" I murmured. On the other side, there was a note saying 'Do not forget.'

I quickly looked around, making sure that my mother didn't hear me. I heard no footsteps, so I guess that sh—

"Miyako! What are you doing?"

I forgot…we're a part of a clan. Oh joy, my mother is a ninja.

I instantly dropped the note that was in my hands and turned around, not to see my mother's angry face, but a worried expression in its place. My aunt appeared behind her, puzzled.

"I thought the Eigo language was lost?"

Eigo — English! So the English language was apparent in this universe. I could reveal the fact that I knew English now, but it may be a bit too early. But do you know what this means? I could 'learn' English from my father's books. My mother sighed.

"It's a long story — I'll tell you another time. This is bad news." She then turned to me. "Miyako Hayashi, how did you learn so quickly?"

I shrugged. My mother narrowed her eyes.

"Don't tell me…"

It's been barely a year. I'm going to be disowned and kicked out of this village, or worse, executed. Every other character in fanfictions tended to survive at least until academy age, from memory. It's been nice knowing you all bu—

"…you're a prodigy!"

No. No. _No._ Dear mother, I am most certainly NOT a prodigy. I am NOT going to be shipped off to some academy to become a war machine, nor have my childhood taken away from me. No siree!

My mother frowned. "Maybe not, prodigies don't tend to develop characteristics at this age. It's probably just beginner's luck."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Even though she said that, I couldn't help but notice the fact that her eyebrows were furrowed and that her hands still rested on her hips. She wasn't through with this, I could tell.

They didn't leave me alone for the rest of the day and I found myself having a nap in my mother's lap. When I woke up, I found myself in my cot with my blanket around me. The moonlight shone through the window as I rolled over, again and again until I reached the edge of the crib. I leapt out and waddled to my father, who had just come home from work and was now seated at the kotatsu. Giving him a baby hug, I toddled to my mother and ate dinner with them. After that, I went to sleep. Being a baby is actually really stressful.

**A/N: Thank you all very much for reading the introduction chapter. As you can see, the chapters are growing larger. Actual Naruto characters will appear very soon, possibly in the next chapter. Thank you to those who added this story to their alerts and to Helen Teng for favouriting. **


	3. Chapter 3: Birthday Party

On my third birthday, October 1st, I had a gathering at my house. Aunt Kaoru made sure that it was elaborate. She didn't have a child of her own, so I was treated especially nice — which was good, in a way. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend due to having a mission in the land of the Rain, Amegakure. I didn't have any cousins yet so my aunt invited all of my other aunts and uncles, my grandparents, the elders and according to my mother, "special guests". I was half hoping that my family knew some cool ninja like the ones in canon.

Speaking of the canon story, I found out where we were. The Third Shinobi World War ended a month ago. I was pretty sure that Naruto was born sometime soon, meaning that his parents didn't have long to live. I have absolutely no abilities whatsoever and I can't get that good in a year or so. I learnt how to walk silently by focussing chakra to my feet, but what am I going to do with that? Sneak up quietly and then…. run for my life in the opposite direction? Too much effort.

I sighed and looked at myself in the mirror in my room. My ebony hair was gathered into two pigtails at the base of my neck and they were tied with two blue ribbons. I abhorred the colour pink and I made sure my parents knew…the hard way. The only shade of pink that I tolerated was the exception of peach. I wore a light blue floral yukata that was paired with a peach obi. A pendant in the shape of a moon hung around my neck. I heard a knock on the door and I was called out.

"Satomi-chan! Kazuki-san! Long time, no see!"

Wait…that voice sounded familiar. My head whirred and my body tingled with excitement. I knew this person from canon. I sprinted as fast as my chubby little legs allowed me to and slid to a stop at the front door. Remembering my manners, I walked forward and bowed to the visitors. Upon looking up, I saw my mother and father talking to two familiar faces and a mini one hiding behind his mother. They had their clan's signature black hair and black eyes combo. They were the heads of the Uchiha clan: Fugaku, Mikoto and Itachi.

"Fugaku-sama, Mikoto-chan, this is our daughter, Miyako," my mother smiled and nodded to me, then faced our guests, "It's getting cold, please come inside."

The adults sat down and chatted while Itachi was made to sit with me.

"You need to make friends, Miya-chan…" they said, "Otherwise, you'll end up as a loner when you get to the Academy. You don't want that, would you?"

Of course I didn't want to be a loner. I took out my notebook and started to draw. They were really scrappy drawings compared to what I used to draw in my previous life. On one page, I had a sushi roll and on the page before that, there was a fish. I started to draw dango on a stick, at which at this point, Itachi leaned over my shoulder to see what I was drawing.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, shutting the book swiftly and sliding the pencil that I had in my pencil case. Itachi pretended that he wasn't looking and went back to staring at the wall. I nudged him.

"You're really quiet, did you know that?" I turned to look at him, only to be met with the sight of his profile. I waved my hand in front of him. When there was no response, I grinned toothily.

"Miyako Hayashi," I said, extending my hand, "What's your name?"

Itachi stared at my hand for a bit and then took it in his own.

"Itachi Uchiha," he replied, with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Happy birthday — did you get any presents?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "Tou-san gave me a toy kunai set and Kaa-chan gave me some notebooks for drawing in. Kaoru-ba-chan gave me some new dresses, though one of them's pink." I jokingly made a disgusted face. "Do you know who else is coming? Because Kaoru-ba-chan kept everything a secret."

Itachi snuck a glance to where the adults were sitting. He mumbled something, but I didn't quite catch what he was saying. I raised an eyebrow in question. He looked over at the door, and right on cue, I heard someone knocking on the door. We stood up and ran to the door together. I couldn't reach the doorknob so he opened it for me. At the door stood the grand Hokage himself, the Yellow Flash of Konoha, Minato Namikaze and the Hot-Blooded Habanero, Kushina Uzumaki. My father ran to the door.

"Minato! Kushina-san! Come in, come in!" They walked in, not without Minato picking me up first. I smiled apologetically at Itachi, who didn't seem to mind as he made his way onto his mother's lap.

"So this is your daughter eh, Kazuki-san?" Minato ruffled my hair as he sat down in a chair next to my father. I giggled. Kushina squealed.

"Sato-chan! She's so cute!"

I blushed under all of the attention that I was getting. I was in the arms of the Hokage with some of the most important people of Konoha at my dining table, and they were here for my birthday. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Fugaku's eyes staring pointedly at the new visitors. All of the other clan members were talking between themselves. The elders were in some sort of meditative state. Kushina, Mikoto and my mother were having a really animated conversation about who-knows-what. Minato and Fugaku already knew each other — probably through their wives — but they didn't seem as involved in their conversations with my father. I wriggled a bit and was let down with a pat on my head. Itachi did the same and we were back on the floor, chatting. Our conversations ranged from our families to favourite games, to what we wanted to be when we grew up. He humoured me until the sun started to set, at which by this point, we had gotten bored of staying inside and went to lay on the porch near the pond.

"Hm…Miyako-chan, you're a sophisticated talker." Itachi noted.

"Same could be said for you," I countered, "I'm pretty sure 'soff-ist-i-cayt-ed' is a grown-ups word."

He chuckled slightly. "You're only three, but you talk like a seven-year-old. How?"

I forced a smile, but it faltered — this wasn't good. He was quick. I didn't like the way that this conversation was going.

"What's your favourite colour?"

I quickly changed the subject to avert any suspicions. Itachi raised an eyebrow and never answered.  
>After a while, I sighed and watched the Uchiha heir carefully. It was too risky — no one should know who I am. It would be unfair to tell him and not tell my parents, who I have known for my entire life in this world. I have only known him for merely a day — possibly less than that. I quote Frozen: "You can't marry a man you just met." I wasn't quite marrying him, but it's along the same line.<br>It was all silent, save for the breeze that was gently passing by and fluttering the leaves of the trees in our back garden. The crickets that were normally chirping at this time of the night were quiet.

"I can't help it." I confessed, semi-lying. Let's see how well this goes. "It's normal for me to talk like this."

I sat up cross-legged and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath in and exhaled, focusing on my breathing and the way it calmed me. I saw where Itachi was coming from. Which kind of three-year-old would talk like I was? Shaking my head, I pressed my palms together and imagined chakra flowing to the tips of my fingers. I imagined the blue of the chakra dancing around my hands, dipping and diving through my skin, flitting in and out of sight.

I felt two hands move my own into a different position.

"Your hands are too closed. Spread them out slightly so that it's easier for your chakra to move." I opened my eyes to see Itachi in front of me and nothing in my hands. "Relax a bit — nothing will work if you are too tense."

I tried again, taking in the advice that he gave me. Nothing happened. I could feel the chakra at my fingers, but it wasn't visible. Itachi attempted the chakra exercise and managed to get it on his third try. I felt slightly discouraged, but I repeated it again and again. I collapsed onto the wooden floor, panting. It was exhausting. I could see how Itachi was hailed as a prodigy. He pulled me up again, struggling a bit, but nevermind. He held my hands together in between his and I could feel him pushing his chakra into my system then making a light glow on my fingertips. I gasped in awe.

"It's so pretty!" My grin couldn't be erased as I kept the chakra circulating. In the dark, I could see our faces being illuminated by the faint glow of our hands. I could see Itachi's tiny smile, which warmed my heart a little. Goodness knows what happens in his home, with his father being the head of the Uchiha clan and all. As the heir, he must have been preened to be the best of the best. I felt a slight bit of pity for him, but kept it to myself.

"Miyako-chan, you've got it."

I looked back down at my hands, which were no longer supported by the two larger ones that were Itachi's. Blinking my eyes, I realised that it was not a trick of the light, but I was now independent. I played around with the luminescence that flared when I pushed more into it. A mischievous smirk crossed my face. The blue light continued to flicker like a flame as I chased Itachi around with it. He didn't make any unnecessary moves, only ducking or moving to the side when it got too close. He jumped out of my sight, and I darted around, trying to find him. I felt a gentle tap on my back. I flipped around and saw the sneaky little weasel with his chakra-infused hand.

"I'm going to get you for th—"

Poke.

Right in the middle of my forehead.

I was not amused, whatsoever. After seeing my fuming face, he chuckled, messed up my hair and dragged me back to the house, at which by that point, I was walking ahead of him. We snuck back into the house, where we were just in time for dinner. After a round of ramen, we had dessert. I remembered when Itachi was looking at my sketchbook and glanced up.

"Kaa-chan, Tou-san, can we have dango afterwards?"

My father grinned. "Of course! We can go to the night markets and see what's there!"

Well, this was going to be fun…

**A/N: Well hello~ Sorry for the late update; I had two essays, two tests and another assignment to study for/do. Yay for high school, I guess. On a brighter note, it's almost the holidays and then I'll be as free as a bird! :D Thanks for reading this... :)**

**Special Thanks to: BloodyBel, Elsen, fanfiction2010, FellMetal, Helen Teng, Littlebirdd, lizifang, Mr. Jay black and rockobroko for alerting, and Helen Teng, X-xx-SugarBerries-xx-X, aj13walker and kimmay94 for favouriting!  
>And this story was added to The Archive for Self Inserts and Original Characters! *whoop*<br>**

**I was thinking of making a Storybird for this story... Would you read it if I did?**


	4. Chapter 4: Return

~Chapter 4~

* * *

><p>Kushina and Minato decided to go home because of Hokage duties, or something or other. The rest of the clan retreated to their own houses to ready themselves for the next day. The six of us walked to the markets, with me skipping in front, pulling Itachi along as well. The lights were amazing and the smell of mouthwatering barbecue pork wafted through the streets. Amidst the noisy chatter and the sales people, a group of musicians were playing. The parents bought the dango at a stall (it turned out that some of the Uchiha teenagers were working there to earn money for new equipment) and we all wandered around. I gravitated towards the music instinctively. The melodies emitted from the smooth, wood-carved instruments felt metaphorically like honey in my ears, silky and soothing.<p>

Vague memories of high school flitted through my head. I remembered the horror of unfinished essays and horrible report cards. Along with these came the memories of music, before I became committed to food. I used to play the oboe for the school band. The sounds were similar, but in this world, everything was sweeter than I knew before in my previous life.

Life now was much more quieter than life before, quieter than life in the war. My father used to come home with deep gashes on his arms, legs and sides. Sometimes, he wouldn't return home for weeks on end. My mother used to cry, but she wouldn't let me see. I heard in the middle of the night, her sobs and sniffles but it was all hidden. It was the life of a shinobi. At one point, my father was admitted into hospital because he had broken his ankle so badly. He was prescribed with a full month out of service. That was the happiest that our family had been in the times of the war. I knew I was spacing out because Itachi poked me, not once, but twice.

"Miyako-chan, your parents and mine are going to the jewellery stall. We should go."

We kiddie-jogged to the stall that Itachi was talking about. There were beautiful necklaces, bracelets and bangles in assorted colours and also at very pretty prices. I gazed in awe at the different pendants. I pulled away from my parents to look at the different charms and beamed at the sight of ninja-themed jewellery. Upon searching around the stall, something caught my eye. On a rack, there was a pendant. I stared quizzically at it as I walked closer with Itachi in tow. It looked suspiciously like my own. The shop owner looked over and gazed into my own eyes. My chubby hands went to my chest and found that it wasn't there. I felt myself panic. 'Be calm,' I repeatedly told myself, 'Kaa-chan and Tou-chan can take care of it like adults.'

I staggered back and felt for Itachi's hand in the dark. In it, I traced out: "PENDANT MISSING" and pointed at myself, then at the sales rack. He nodded and we walked away to find the adults; they could handle it. We were merely children. It was disheartening, but it was the truth. In reality, if we were to attack, we would most likely be dead.

Suddenly, two rough hands pulled me back.

"What is a little girl like you doing here without her parents?" I turned and saw the owner of the stall. He pulled me back, breaking my hold on Itachi. I struggled against his strong grip as he hauled me over his shoulder. He put his hands in a formation and I felt my breath get sucked out of my chest as I shut my eyes in fear.

* * *

><p>There was darkness everywhere. I was abruptly dropped onto the stone floor on my bottom. A howl of pain erupted from my mouth as I attempted to pull myself upright.<p>

I screamed, tears dripping from my eyes. My attacker turned around with one eyebrow raised. He began to laugh.

His mouth formed a twisted smile. He stared me in the face, menacing face and all. I scrambled back on my arms and legs, until my back touched the cold, hard wall. "You know what? I hate your clan. I hate ALL of the clans." He sneered right in my face.

"..."

He grabbed my head in his hands and pressed it higher against the wall. My feet were dangling a metre in the air.

"The Hayashi Clan. Your fucking clan took away my ability to be a ninja. You see, your goddamned aunt and mother bullshitted their way into becoming ninjas while the rest of the fucking lot are stuck doing labour!" I could feel his spit flying into my face as he continued to yell. "The Uchiha, the Hyuuga…even the Inuzuka did it! But they just couldn't let one other student through! And don't get me started on your father. Oh, how I loathe him, that son of a bitch." It was silent for a while. I was dumbstruck by the fury that was emitted from his being. I was no longer crying but tears fell. His hands were shaking. I couldn't see anyone else in the room — or should I say, cave. I looked around, but saw no exit. Oh, how I longed for someone to come. If I were in my original body in my previous life, I would have been able to struggle out, but as a feeble toddler, there was nothing that I could do. My parents would have known about my disappearance soon. In a few moments, they would be searching for me. Would I be able to survive for that long?

I glanced upwards to see the angry eyes of the shop owner.

"You're going to die."

Well done Captain Obvious. I'd hope that my death would take place in about eighty days or so, but I don't think that's what you're thinking. He let go of my face and I landed in an awkward position, yowling. I was pretty sure my ankles were sprained, or worse, broken. I made a run for it. Whether you like it or not, angry guy, I'm not going to let myself be murdered when I was just reborn. No way. If I stay, I would My stout legs barely made ten steps forward when I fell in agony. My hands struggled to heave me up and I didn't even think about looking back. He was behind me; I knew.

"You dare to escape?"

I tried to drag myself out, but was pressed to the floor by the kunai that embedded themselves into my sleeves. This was it. He came closer, his steps becoming faster with each stride. A press at my neck was all it took for me to lose consciousness.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Breathe in.<strong>_

_Pity me, a young child who could do nothing in the face of danger._

_**Breathe out.**_

_I would be lucky to be still alive. _

_**Breathe in.**_

_Goodness knows what would happen when I wake up — _if _I wake up at all._

**_Breathe out._**

_It's time to rise._

* * *

><p>Pain. It was everywhere, unescapable, tugging at my consciousness. I felt ready to let go and return to sleep, until I heard the wails. It was comparable to the screech of a vulture. A faint beeping echoed. Several more followed. I regained control of my limbs and attempted to open my eyes. My dry throat ached — it was me who was screaming. There, in front of me, was the white ceiling of a hospital. The air smelt funny, like disinfectant. I struggled to get myself upright, but then I felt it — this wasn't my body…<p>

Correction: it was my body; it wasn't Miyako's body.

"Nami! You're alive!"

I faintly recognised the lady that was smothering me with an embrace as my mother. For a moment there, I almost forgot. I moved my hand to feel along my arm. There were wires connected to machines and tubes attached to bags of fluids that hanged from metal frames. A plaster ran from my elbow to midway down my lower arm. My good hand was left unscathed. Around my neck, a brace restricted my movement. I didn't want to think about what happened to my head. I moved the muscles in my face and felt pain searing through. Of course, there had to be bandages there as well. The lady released the hug — it was then that I had a good look at her. Her chocolate brown hair was greying and her eyes were glazed with concern.

"…I was so worried when we received the call from the university! We thought you were gone for good!"

If I hadn't experienced the past three years, I would be relieved to be back with my family. However, everything was different now.

"Mum," I paused for a moment, almost not recognising my own voice, "how long was I out for?"

"About….a month….? Why, honey?"

I shrugged and looked away. A month…I could have sworn it was longer than that… My mother smiled and walked away.

"If you need anything, I'll be in the left wing of the hospital; you know where to find me. Just tell the nurses first because, well….everyone thought you were dead. It was a bit of a shock when they found out."

The door shut with a click and I was left to myself. My eyes trailed around the room and I spotted a small book. _Naruto. _A smile graced my face as I was reminded of my sister. I missed the moments we had together. If only she could be able see what I had been living. An idea popped up. I pressed the intercom and asked for permission to leave my room. My request was approved, but a nurse had to assist me in getting out. Moments later, a nurse arrived with a wheelchair.

…a wheelchair?

I threw the sheets off and saw bandages encasing both of my legs. What even happened to me? Surprisingly, it didn't hurt as badly as I thought it would have been, but that all changed when I was hauled onto the wheelchair. The pressure initiated a new wave of pain localised in my knees which then spread to attack my lower leg. I winced and realised that my pain tolerance here was much less than the one in the other universe. I was detached from the machines after having a quick checkup. The nurse told me about where I could go and where I couldn't go in the hospital. After checking the clock, I realised that it was 3pm. My sister would be ending work now. I headed to the cafeteria for some food. Somehow, being under can make you really hungry.

My sister was Kana, a twenty-five-year-old anime addict. Every once in a while, she would attend some sort of of comic convention and cosplay. Sometimes, I was forced to join her, but it wasn't actually that bad. At one point, made me cosplay with her. I was Hinata and she, as the taller sibling, was Neji. I remembered that incident. Our father wasn't all smiles about Kana cross-dressing and scolded her, telling her that she should act lady-like and proper. There was a family argument that night, but Kana got her way. From then on, my sister had a very strained relationship with our father. It was fun all the while. We posed with many strangers and con-goers. After that, Kana continued to cosplay, both as female characters and male characters.

I arrived at the hospital cafeteria, a place that I was very familiar with. My father divorced my mother when I was in ninth grade. From then on, I would come to the hospital very regularly, as this is where my mother worked. Sometimes, she would take night shifts and we would stay at home, where my sister would supervise me as I cooked for the two of us. Sometimes, Kana would take nights at the pub to play and hopefully earn some money. My mother's job earns quite a lot, but we had to pay for the extensions to the house. Kana also has part-time jobs as an author and a manga illustrator. She lived her life doing what she liked and didn't care what our father said. He wanted both of us to have secure, high paying jobs such as being doctors, lawyers or even engineers. Kana and I did manage to find our way into having good jobs, but not in the way that he liked. He contacted us later to see how we were doing — well to see how I was doing. My father and I managed to maintain a stable relationship. I told him that I was studying the culinary arts and succeeding in the industry. He wasn't too upset about it, which was lucky. When I added that Kana was an a budding artist, he hung up the phone. I think this was a week before my supposed death. I shook my head and looked up.

"Kana?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know I said that I would get a chapter up faster on the holidays, buuut... yeah, I have no excuse... I'm starting an art blog for a project that my friends and I are doing. I guess that is what's taking up all of my time... I'm not too happy with the confrontation between Miyako and the shop owner and I don't think you guys are either, but I like the end a bit more... This is going to lead to the main plotline and the whole reason why there are OCs in the story in the first place.**

**Thanks to KuroShiroNeko-chan, kanna-yamamoto, 3, tenshi0, Kurotiger, Rosezelene Ersa and lojenz for the new favourites (and all of you return favouriters - thanks to you too!), and Aferac, HoneyGrl, minhthu12-Present, setsunaxx, GetWithIt, tenshi0, Kurotiger and Rosezelene Ersa for alerting. (and to all of you old alerters - thanks!) And finally, thanks to X-xx-SugarBerries-xx-X and Littlebirdd for reviewing!**

**Heh...I think this authors note may be a bit too long so I'll cut it off now... Thanks for reading! **


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